Stripes: Lawmakers tell Army leaders they're worried about strain on Guard

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Lawmakers tell Army leaders they're worried about strain on Guard, Reserve

Members of the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday expressed serious concerns about Army readiness and the reliance on reservists and guardsmen in combat operations.

“The Army — and by that I mean active, Guard and Reserve — remains too small and improperly structured to perform all the nation is asking it to do,” New York Republican Rep. John McHugh, chairman of the military personnel subcommittee, told Army leaders testifying before Congress.

“The pace at which we are employing the Guard and Reserve is not sustainable for the long term. And there appears to be an over-reliance on interim measures … to get from one rotation to another rather than a willingness to adopt a longer term strategy.”

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Cody said soldiers have learned to adapt to numerous new jobs while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, many of them tasks they were not necessarily trained to perform. Guardsmen and reservists have also provided vital mission support.


http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=26955